Summer Newsletter 2026

Sophie Hocking
17 hours ago
4 min read

Hello from Lighthouse!

It is time for our newsletter where we can tell you all about the amazing things that have been going on at Lighthouse Tuition South-West. Gosh, so much has happened since our last instalment- including us turning a year old!

Alternative Provision

We know that many children struggle to access school and so either do not attend or are on a reduced timetable. To help with this we have opened up a branch of Lighthouse to become an alternative provision. Our founder, Sophie, has worked alongside parents to really get to know these children and tailor the provision to be exactly what they need. For some, this means coming to us at the Hub, for others it means tutors visiting their homes and for one child we have worked with their parents to create a wonderful learning room in their garden. Sophie and our AP tutors are adaptable and dedicated to helping children develop in a way that suits them. We know that some days are tougher for these children than others and we can absolutely roll with that.

Fit and Fed

Over the Easter holidays we ran our first ‘Fit and Fed’ session alongside Plymouth City Council and we had so much fun! It was amazing to see so many children having fun and making new friends. We ran the sessions at the Plymouth Albion site and they were wonderful enough to lend us their gazebo. This meant that we had plenty of space and could also access the field- much needed for a break, for a burst of energy or simply for enjoying the sunshine.

Inspiring School Visits

Sophie travelled to Essex to visit friends she met at the Kazakhstan, for the IFIP World Inclusion Congress: Roger Mitchell and Paul Bray. Here she visited Roger’s school to see the amazing way that Ripple Primary is truly inclusive for ALL pupils. It really was inspiring and gave her lots of ideas to bring back to Lighthouse.

Little Lighthouse Learner Incoming!

We’re so excited to share that our Lighthouse team is growing. Our lovely tutor Tilly is expecting a baby boy due 08/08/26! She plans to continue tutoring until the summer holidays and we’ll be contacting all families with plenty of time to ensure a smooth transition for every student. Until then, it’s business as usual… just with a few extra toilet breaks and taking her a little longer to get up from the carpet!

Our Terrific Team!

One of the most exciting things has been that we have taken on some new tutors which has meant that we have been able to help so many more children across Plymouth, and even into Cornwall! We now have a team of 9 (as well as the irreplaceable Jayne who is on admin) who are all absolutely dedicated to making learning fun and engaging, because that’s the way that it sticks. For many of our young people, traditional methods of tuition simply would not be right for them. So if they learn best by being active and laughing along the way, knowing that they are achieving in a way that fits them best then that is a definite win in our books. Each newsletter we will focus on a different tutor to help you to get to know our team a little bit more. This edition, we will start with Nina...

Nina joined us in September after teaching in schools for over fifteen years. She has young children at home and brings from that mum point of view; knowing how she would want her own children to be treated. Nina has steadily built up her pupils so that she now teaches children from Key Stages One to Three. She teaches some students in their homes, some at the Ivybridge Hub and some at the Plymouth Hub.

A portion of her students are home educated, a portion are in school and a portion access us through the alternative provision branch of Lighthouse. One of the things that Nina prides herself on is tailoring the sessions to suit the likes and needs of her pupils. If your child loves Minecraft, superheroes, animals, music- she’ll plan lessons around that. They love to jump around, incorporate role play, have a mixture of active ideas and calmer times- no problem. Nina has worked with the National Curriculum so can ensure she offers what your child needs for their natural educational development, in a way that they can enjoy.

At Lighthouse, we teach stage not age. In that way, we help children with what they actually need. We also know that children are exactly that, and are not data. We look at the whole child and not just their academic attainment. If your child is having a tough time and needs to talk about it before they are able to access any learning, then we can absolutely do that. If they have some amazing news to share, then absolutely let’s share it during the session.

Exciting News

Last but not least, we have some VERY exciting news! Our Ivybridge learners will be moving to a brand new site very soon. Behind the scenes, lots has been going on with our new venue and we cannot wait to share all the ideas we have been planning very soon. For now, watch this space. Lighthouse is growing and we are very happy to be growing in terms of the space we can offer our learners both in the day and in the afternoons/evenings! Thank you families for your continued support. It means a lot and we are very grateful to already have a fantastic community of young learners and families supporting them

Coming Up...

If your child needs a some extra support, learns best in a fun, inclusive, small-group setting then we can help. Contact us to discuss the best way forward for your child and how we can help with their learning journey.